The Lean Book of Lean

14 Results, What to Expect and What is Possible

Before I sign off and call it a day on this book, there is one last thing to do. Up to now, we've been talking about concepts and principles, tools, techniques and creating the environment for success. I've also hinted a few times at what the benefits might be, but not really spelled them out. Well, now's the time to set that record straight; after all, it's a lot of effort to go to if there is no return for that investment.

The statements on benefits made here are based on years of personal experience as well as benchmarks and studies made by external third parties. Yes, they're averages and we all know how misleading they can be, but it should give you some idea of what to expect. To get the real low-down on what it's all going to be worth to you, you'll need to do a business case. See Chapter 9 on this subject for more details.

Benefits fall into two major buckets, which we will explore in a bit of detail below, starting with the ones most people have top of their list: “Show me the money!” After that, we'll take a look at some benefits of a more personal nature, which will go a long way to helping sustain the changes and keep your hands on the money long into the future.

It's also worth noting that these benefits are what should be expected after the initial transformation stage, in other words, 18–24 months for a large company, earlier for a smaller one. Let's not forget that Lean is a never-ending journey based on a series ...